Newport Burton Borough School joins the Learning Community Trust

The Trust already runs more than a dozen primary and secondary school sites across the county including Hadley Learning Community, Charlton, Ercall Wood, and Telford Priory.

It has been working closely with the Newport school’s leadership team since the start of the year to ensure a seamless transfer, holding consultation meetings with parents to keep them informed of progress.

The Trust’s management team have outlined four key objectives for Burton Borough – creating engaged and successful students, ensuring high quality teaching, continuous improvement, and effective leadership and governance.

It says ‘retaining the uniqueness and identity’ of Burton Borough is an incredibly important factor - alongside creating a positive learning environment that is ‘more inspiring for students’, developing appropriate day-to-day behavioural cultures, and refocusing the school’s enrichment offer with sport and music at the forefront.

The Trust is currently in the process of recruiting a new principal for the school from what it describes as an ‘incredibly strong field of candidates’.

Richard Gummery, the Trust’s assistant director, said: “My role over the next few years is to support the new principal to cultivate a school environment where all students are actively engaged and empowered to reach their full potential.

“I am looking forward to building upon the school’s existing strengths to create an environment where every student can thrive.

“We want to make learning the most exciting and rewarding part of the school experience. Our goal is to see every student achieve and celebrate their progress. I am confident that Burton Borough School has a bright future ahead.”

Jane Hughes, chief executive of the Trust, said: “Burton Borough is a school with a proud and distinctive heritage. While our schools all share common values, we also recognise the importance of each retaining its own distinct identity. Community interaction is very important to us.

“We have been working with the team at Burton Borough for several months in preparation for this transfer, and are keen to work in partnership with parents and stakeholders to shape our vision for the future.

“Students need a sense of belonging, and must feel supported to want to be, and to stay, in school. First and foremost, students need to feel safe and enjoy their time at school if they are to thrive and succeed.”

The Learning Community Trust was established in June 2017 to create a multi-academy trust driving school improvement and ensuring the best possible outcomes for students, and several of its schools are now over-subscribed.

In addition to its secondary schools, it also runs special schools including Queensway in Telford and Severndale in Shrewsbury, plus primary schools in Wellington, Crudgington, Hadley, Ketley Bank, and Allscott Meads.